Venetian blind tilter



i Dec. 25, 1945. J. NlsENsoN 2,391,500

VENETIAN BLIND TILTER Filed Feb. 5, 1944 mi# U l MAI Patented Dec. 25, 1945 VENETIAN BLIND TILTER Julesv Nisenson. NewYork, N. Y.; assignor to Publix Metal Products Inc., New York, N. Y.. a corporation ofA New York Application February 5, 1944,(se'ria1 No. 521.200 toy claims. (o1. 16o-17s) This invention relates generally to the Venetian blind art and more particularly to a device for Y tilting the slats', frequently referred to in the art asy a tilter.

Among the objects of the present invention lies the 'provision of a tilter which is extremely compact and light vin weight. A reduction in the weight of the parts as compared with prior` art structures results in economies in manufacture, storage and shipping;V while the reduction in bulk of the tilter makes for a neater appearance and the inconspicuousness thereof reduces the need for valance boards or similar concealing means.

Another object herein is the provision of a unitary tilting mechanism which requires only to be shifted from oney end of the head bar to the other so that the same may be utilized to actuate a tilt bar from either the left or right side or end thereof.

- Another object herein lies in the provision of a tilting mechanism which is readily actuated by cord or chain and in which the' means for the supporting and guiding of the cod or chain in operative connection with the main driving pulley is integral with the. support bracket; Y

AV still further object of the invention is th provision ofa tilter requiring a minimum of parts, which are either stampings or die castings, and which require a minimum of labor and expense to assemble.

Another object herein lies in the provision of a tilter in` which a step down gear ratio is provided between the main pulley and the` connection to tilt` bar without the use of a Worm.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the class described in which the tilt bar and/or the Amovable gear associated therewith becomes automatically locked in any adjusted position thereof..

An advantage of the present structure lie'sin the fact that substantially al1 of the moving parts are enclosed. They may thus have a quantity of lubricant associated therewith and dirt,k and moisture are prevented from coming into contact with said parts.

A further object herein lies in the provision of structurev which is simple, strong, and efficient; and smooth and foolproof in operation.

These objects andl further features and advantages will more fully 'appear in the progress of this disclosure and be pointed out in the appended Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing atilter attached to a head bar and en-y gagng a tilt bar which supports slats. In thisv figure, the. cord or chain is removed for the purpose of clarity.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view as seen fromthe plane 2-2 on Figure 1, showing-thev Y tilter in end elevation. y

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary verticall sectional view partly in elevation as seen from the plane 3--3 on Figure 2. In this figure, the fragmentecl` tilt bar kconnector is shown as engaging the coupling therefor on the movable gear.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view partly vin elevation as seen from the plane 4-4 on Figure 3.Y

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view as seen from the plane 5-5 on Figure 2.

Figure is ahorizontal sectional View as seen from the-plane 6-6 on Figure 3. f Y

Figure 7 is aview in perspective of the connector element. y f In accordance, with the invention, the tilter generally indicated by numeral I0 includes a support bracket Il, a first orstationary gear .lr2,ra pinion .|3, a secondvor movable gear I4,V anda pulley I5. y f

The bracket l l includes 'an attaching fiange IB which may be suitably orificed so that it may beY attached by means ofthe screws l1. in a well known manner to the head bar I8. f The attaching flange is preferablydisposed at right angles to the 1 body or frame I9 of the bracketv Il. The lowermost portion of the bracket Il has aright angle tab 20, integral'therewith which is bent from the bracket Il in the `same general directiongas the flange I6. rIfhe tab 20 forms the chain or cord guide and is provided with' an irregular shaped indentation2|, best seen in Figure 5. The indentation 2l has an entrance 23 disposed between two short-fingers 22. The fingers 22Y are'directed` toward each other and are oppositelyv disposed and the.Y distance between them is preferablyequal to or slightly less thaneither of the cords 24 or 25. The cordsr 24 and. 25 are indicated schemat-A ically in dotand dash outline on Figure 5. Thus when the cords are placed upon the pulley livin the first. instance or removed therefrom, they may be snapped or pushedy through' the entrance v23 betweenthe. fingers 2v2 by slightly compressingthe cords. After the cords are in place either of the cords -24 or 25l hinders the removal 'of the oth'er, and they are not easily accidentally dis-V placed.y The disposition of thecord guide 20 in relatively close proximity to the periphery of the include central portions and 3| having outwardly directed necks 32 and 33, central orifices 34 and 35, oppositely and inwardly depressed con-l necting and spacing `portions 36 and 31, andiperipheral cord engaging portions 38 and 39. The portions 36 and 31 may be interconnected in any suitable manner as for example by spot welding or by a plurality of rivets 40.

Ihe pulley discs 28 and 29 in the-central portions 30 and 3| thereof are providedfwith orifices 4I and 42 within which the pinion I3 is trunnioned. The ribs 26 and 21 are so arranged with relation to each other and with the orifices 4| and 42 as well as the orices 43 and `4,4, that when the pulley discs 28 and 29 are interconnected with'the said orices oppositely disposed and axially'aligned they will be alternately arranged to providea serpentine path for the cord. Obviously it is necessary that the orices 43 and 44 in the pulley discs 28 and 29 for the penetration of the rivets be so arranged that they are in alignment with the orices 4| and 42 are coaxially alined. The pulley discs 28 and 29 may be constructed of stamped sheet metal.

- The first or stationary gear I2 is preferably a die casting althoughthe same may be fabricated by any other suitable manufacturing process and includes a boss 45, a cylindrical pulley disc bearing portion 46, a ring of gear teeth 41, and a hub48.

l VThe second or movable gear is in the form of a hollow cylinder including a body 49, a coupling portion and a` radially disposed ring of second gear teeth 5|.v The-,coupling portion 50 is provided with a pair of oppositely .disposed slots 52 which vare adapted to receive the wings 53 of the connector element 54. nIhe body -or frame I9 of the support bracket Il is provided with an orifice within which the boss 45 is a'close or drive t. The boss 45 in its fabricated state is of greater length than the thickness of the body I9 so that after said bosshas beenplaced or driven in to the orifice 55, the terminal thereof may be swaged over to form the'head 56. It is necessary in the operation of the device |||Y that'the gear |2 besubstantially stationary with' respect to the bracket |I and to further accomplish this pur,- pose, the boss 4 5 may have a non-circular external configuration and the orice 55 may be correspondingly shaped. As seen in Figure 4, a desirable polygonal shape for the boss 45 is shown. The effective diameter of the body 49 and of the bearing portion 46 are substantially equal to each other and are such' as to provide a running lt within the necks 32 and 33 of the pulley discs 28 and 29 respectively. `The hub 48 has an effective diameter'substantially equal to or slightly less than the internal diameter of the body 49 so that the same has a running i'lt therein. Thus th'e stationary gear I2 acts as an axle about which the pulley I5 isrotatable as a unitand the hub 48 ofthe stationary gear .I2 acts as an axle for the movable gear I4, and the body 49 `of which acts as an axle for the -pulley I5, 'I'he body 49 therefore, is supported radially outwardly thereof by the neck 32 and radially inwardly thereof by the hub 48. The thickness of the ring of rst gear teeth 41 and the thickness of the ring of second gear teeth 5| together are substantially equal to or slightly less than the distance between the inner opposed surfaces of the central portions 30 and 3| of th'e pulley |5. Thus the pulley disc 29 is rotatably guided into position by being disposed between the body |9-of the bracket II on one side and the nearest surfaces of the ring of first gear teeth 41 on the other side.

l The teeth 41 and the teeth 5| are of substantially videntical' pitch diameter..l The pinion I3 on the other hand has the teeth thereof preferably of a lesser pitch diameter. The gears and 'pinion are preferably of the straight tooth spur gear type. The gears I2 and I4 differ in circular pitch preferably by one tooth so that the stationary gear I2 may have for example ten teeth, while the movable gear I4 may have nine teeth.

,The pinion may have any desired number of teeth 5l' but it is desirable that the pitch diameter of the pinion be relatively small so that the pulley discs and particularly the central portions thereof 38 and 3| need not be of any greater diameter than is necessary to clear the outermost sweep or tip circle of the teeth 51. The circular pitch of the teeth on the pinionwill therefore be governed by the number of teeth which maybe fitted into the pitch circle of the pinion with the tip circle taken into consideration. The size of the individual teeth 51 along the pitch circleis preferably such that they may mesh simultaneously between a pair of teeth of the ring of teeth 41 and another pair of teeth of the teeth 5|.A

Thus if the teeth51 are of such a size as to properly mesh with the gear having the greater number of teeth, nalmely'the gear I2, then the teeth 51 will be a looser t between the teeth 5| on the gear |4 lhaving the lesser number of teeth.

This slight amount of play, however, is not suiii-l and shape so thatv they nest within the slots 52 which are `correspondingly sized and shaped.

The plural prongs 59 may be driven into the tilt bar 60. The tilt bar may carry the usual ,tapes 6| and slats`62.

With the device fully assembled and installed as shown inI Figure l, the -operation thereof is relatively simple and efficient. The pulley I5 may be rotated in either direction by the cords 24 and 25 in a, well knownl manner and ,such rotation of the pulley carries the pinion I3 around with it. Since the pinion |3 is in mesh with the stationary gear I2, it rotates with relation to itself about its own axis as well las about the axis of the pulley I5. In making acomplete rotation of the pulley I5, the pinion will have engaged each of the ten teeth 41. Since the teeth 5I must go alongwith the pinion ,teeth 51 with which they are engaged, the movable gear I4 will move with respect to the stationary gear I2 a distance equivalent to the pitch of the movable gear and since in the embodiment shown there are nine teeth 5| there will be a nine to one step down ratio between the pulley I5 and the movable gear I4 and hence also' the coupling portion 50. This step down ratio permitspa very ne adjustment of the tilt bar when the connector element articulately inbe secured to the head bar; a first gear secured 10 to said bracket; a second vgear detachably connectab-le With the tilt bar, and movable withy relation to the first gear; a rotatable'pulley; and a. pinion. rotatably mounted on said pulley and engaging said gears.-

15. In a Venetian blindvtilter: a first gear having a. hub axially disposed; and a second 'gear having av 'hollow cylindrical lbody axially and ro,- tatably disposed on. said hub.` f l l 16. In a Venetian blind tilter: a bracket; a, first gear having an axial hub projecting from one surface of said first gear and a boss projecting from the opposite surface of said first gear: said boss being secured to said bracket; and a second gear having a hollow cylindrical axial body; said second gear being rotatably supported by said hub.

v"aaaigrsoo 17. .In a Venetian'blnr -tilterz a bracket; a

ing portion and boss, the boss being-secured to said bracket; a second gear rotatably mounted on the hub of the. iirst gear; a pulley formed of a pair of plates secured together, spaced at the central portion thereof and provided with a pair of oppositely disposed orices; saidgears being disposed between said plates, the border of the orice in one plate forming a bearing 'on said bearing portion, the border of the oriiice in the other plate forming a bearing on the second gear. 18. In a Venetian blind ftilter: a first gear; a second gear; and a pulley including rst and second plates enclosing said gears; each of said plates having an orifice; one of said plates being rotatably mounted on the first gear and the other of saidplates being mounted on the second gear. y Y

19. A device as claimed in claim 18 having a vpinion rtrunnioned'between said vplates and meshing lWith said gears.

20. A device as claimed in claim 18 in which the first and second gears have a diiierent number of teeth.

' JULES NISENSON. 

